Beyond Suspicion

By Rabbi Daniel Travis

Carry double the money in your hands… (Bereshith 43:12)

The verse seems to imply that Yaakov specifically wanted his sons to carry
the money in their hands, rather than in a wallet or pocket. Yaakov was
afraid that when the Viceroy of Egypt (who, unbeknownst to him, was Yosef)
would see them returning, he would immediately interrogate them about the
money that they had found in their sacks. Even if they told him that they
intended to return it, they had no way of proving that they had come to
Egypt with the intention of returning the money. Perhaps they were waiting
to see if he asked about the money before volunteering it. Therefore
Yaakov specifically told them to carry the money in their hands, so that
Yosef would see that they were not trying to hide anything from him. In
this way they could immediately demonstrate their honesty.1

A person should be careful not to put himself into situations in which he
will appear suspect, especially when money is involved. Therefore, if
someone has stolen something from you, it is forbidden to sneak into his
house to steal it back from him. People unaware of what previously
transpired may misinterpret the situation and think that you are a
thief.2 However, if the money can not
be retrieved through legal channels, it is permissible to trick the thief
into giving you back your money.

Rav Yehudah and Rav Yossi once deposited money with an inkeeper. When they
later asked for their money, the innkeeper denied having received it.
Earlier they had noticed that he had eaten beans for lunch. They went to
his wife and told her that her husband wants her to give them their money,
and the sign that that they are telling the truth is that she had served
him beans for lunch. They cleverly retrieved what was rightfully theirs,
without making themselves look suspect in the process.3

Our Sages instituted many precautionary measures in order to insure that
people will not suspect a gabai tzedaka (a person involved with collecting
and distributing charity) of theft. In order to prevent suspicion,
collecting should always be done in pairs. After collecting, when adding
up the money given them, they should count one coin at a time. If they
count two at a time onlookers may think that they are really counting two
coins as one, and that they are trying to take money for themselves. At a
time when there is no one in need of charity, and it is necessary to
exchange the coins into a different form of currency, the gabai tzedaka
should not change the money for himself since people could suspect that he
gave himself a favorable rate. If a gabai tzedaka receives, in public,
personal money unconnected to charity he should not pocket it; rather he
should put it together with the charity money, and separate it when he
gets home.4